Assault victim told court how she met her attacker in a Listowel disco

IN her evidence, the victim told the court how she met Foley in a Listowel disco after she had been socialising with friends in the town earlier that night.

Foley told her he was celebrating his birthday, she gave him a hug, they talked for a few minutes and he offered to buy her a drink. She said she wanted a WKD, but he insisted on buying shots and bought her a Black Russian.

She felt her mouth was “on fire” after drinking the shot. She told him she needed another drink and he got her a WKD.

She took two sips and her memory was vague after that.

“I felt sick, dizzy and light-headed and my stomach was turning. I knew there was something up, but I didn’t know what,” she told the court.

She was sick and he offered to walk her home. CCTV footage was then shown to the court and she could identify herself leaving with the accused with her arm around his waist and his arm around her.

She also watched CCTV footage of two people coming from an alcove area and identified herself being carried in his arms.

She identified herself from the footage as lying on the ground near a skip and Foley was with her.

“He was trying to have intercourse,” she said. “I was struggling and saying ‘no’ and I remember saying, ‘how can you do this to me?’’’

She said he kept going, forcing her down on the ground and holding her there. He grabbed her wrists, pinned her down, forced himself on top of her and tried to remove her clothing.

“He had a tight grip. I was very emotional. I was afraid. I realised then what was happening. I passed out a number of times when I was on the ground,” she said.

The woman also said she had bruises on her back, her cheek was sore and she had a pulled muscle on her leg.

The court heard that after an hour and 15 minutes, gardaí arrived and found her near a skip in a town car park, with the accused crouching over her. She was semi-conscious and naked from the waist down.